TOLEDO, Ohio — University of Toledo law professor Greg Gilchrist says the difference between bribes and campaign contributions remains a hard question to answer.
"I don't know, I don't know what their idea of a bribe is or my idea of a campaign contribution is, but no, I did not take any bribes, and no, I did not vote for money," Toledo City Council Member Gary Johnson said Tuesday while leaving the federal courthouse.
Questions have now arisen about the difference between the two and how they could get confused.
"The FBI alleges that money was exchanged in order to buy a particular vote on a particular issue and that would be classic bribery. It's quid-pro-quo, something in exchange for an official act," Gilchrist said.
In comparison, contributions support for someone you believe in by spending money in hopes to get their goodwill, according to Gilchrist.
The professor added the confusion between the two is understandable because there's a fine line between them and it can become problematic.
"At this point, I think it has to be expected because the Supreme Court has not done a great job of making this distinction clear," Gilchrist said.
According to him, the FBI is going to have to prove Johnson voted a certain way in exchange for that money to his campaign. In some cases, he says, that's harder than other types of crime.
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